Map icon.
Bandit Camps were introduced in Mount&Blade: Warband.
These camps act as the main base for bandit gangs. When reaching a bandit camp, you have the option to leave it alone or attack it. Due to the narrow entrances to the camps, cavalry cannot be used in the battle. If the base is destroyed, you are presented with the loot screen with their 'ill-gotten gains' (usually bandit arms and armour, with a few villagers' supplies). However if you fail, the bandits leave the camp and build another camp somewhere else (and continue to plague anyone who passes by).
These camps are often quest targets for a lord who owns a nearby town. If you fail to eliminate the camp while taking on such a quest, you have to explain this to the lord. You will not lose any relation with the lord and if you ask for a task immediately afterwards, he will give you another chance at destroying the bandits.
Bandit camps are good targets of opportunity for new characters since they are filled with items that can be used early on or sold for money. Attacking the camps with a shield and one-handed weapon is recommended since most bandits use ranged weapons.
The camps consist of caves, longboats, tents, or shacks. These are the spawning points of the bandits there.
Bandits will stand ground in front of cave or uphill before you come close or attack. If some of them are neutralized, more bandits will spawn. As their men start to run out, looters rather than bandits will sally out desperately.
After destruction, bandit camps can respawn almost immediately, though usually in a different area where you will have to rediscover it. However, it is possible to witness the new camp appear right after the old camp has vanished if it spawns within the same vicinity. If the camp does not respawn quickly, the bandits will wander about in the same way as looters and deserters, often ending up far away from their initial spawn location.
Locating[]
Only one camp of each type is on the map at a given time. Once discovered, they will remain visible until destroyed.
Locating a bandit camp can be difficult as camp locations are random. You can ask caravans (and perhaps other passersby) for help locating the bandits. Another option is to find a bandit group that is currently "travelling", as this means they are returning home to resupply. Follow them at a safe distance and allow them to lead the way.
Here are some tips for finding each kind of bandit camp:
- Sea Raider Landing
- Sea raiders land on the northern coastline of Calradia, along the shore between Rivacheg and Wercheg. Sea Raiders are the best equipped of all bandit types, so they may pose a struggle for low-level characters. However, because of their difficulty, they are also the best source of high value loot and experience.
- Forest Bandit Camp
- These are found in forests, usually ones teeming with bandits. They can be hard to spot in the dense woodlands. and are commonly found north of Uxkhal and the forests surrounding Ibiran.
- Steppe Bandit Lair
- These are found around the steppe areas of Calradia, commonly in Khergit areas, like Ichamur and Narra.
- Tundra Bandit Lair
- These are usually found in snowy areas of the map, such as around Khudan or Rivacheg. Tundra bandits have decent weapons and armour and may be difficult early in the game.
- Desert Bandit Lair
- These are found in the desert parts of the map initially controlled by the Sarranid Sultanate. These hideouts contain tents with an oasis in the centre.
- Mountain Bandit Hideout
Quests[]
When the object of a quest, camps are labeled in blue.
The lords providing the quests to eliminate a bandit camp are:
| Bandit Camp | Quest Town | Default Lord |
|---|---|---|
| Sea Raider Landing | Rivacheg | Boyar Meriga |
| Forest Bandit Camp | Uxkhal | Count Delinard |
| Steppe Bandit Lair | Ichamur | Tonju Noyan |
| Tundra Bandit Lair | Khudan | Boyar Vuldrat |
| Desert Bandit Lair | Ahmerrad | Emir Hamezan |
| Mountain Bandit Hideout | Veluca | Count Matheas |
If you discover a bandit camp at random, visiting the respective lord before attacking can help maximize experience and denar gain. The lords may change as the game proceeds, as the town may be conquered and given to another faction and lord.
Training Strategy[]
Instead of destroying a bandit camp, it can be useful to use it as a source of non-faction fights to train your units. Bandits will regularly spawn near their camps, sometimes in groups of 50+ that you can defeat for their spoils and experience. This method avoids losses in relation with other nobles every time you want to fight. Once you locate a bandit camp, just clear the area of bandits on the map but do not remove the camp itself. The next time you feel like fighting bandits, you'll know exactly where to find them.
Bandit camps do respawn after you destroy them but not in the same place. If you find a place with many bandit groups, a camp is likely nearby.
For this option, it's recommended to chose a forest bandit (easiest), mountain bandit (medium), or sea raider (hardest) camp. Desert and steppe bandit groups move quickly and are on horseback, which is a factor to worry about if you're after efficient combat and loot.
It is easy to attack any sized bandit group if you are slow. You only have to have a lot of food so you can stay still.
- Get a lot of food.
- Find a bandit camp.
- Click the bandit camp and go to it. When given the option to attack, press leave.
- Go to camp and press "wait" (in Warband, ctrl+spacebar makes time go faster than normal, spacebar passes time normally).
- Wait until a bandit group attacks you. They will eventually return to their camp sometime at night. If you have a large enough party you can wait near the camp and before too long, most of the bandits will have left their camp and will pace back and forth (towards the camp, away from the camp, towards the camp, etc.) around it. Here, you will have easy pickings from a large number of bandits without ever attacking the camp.